Many medical imaging devices employ a bore-type arrangement, in which the device has a generally cylindrical housing defining a central bore. By way of illustration, many magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) devices (i.e. “scanners”) have a cylindrical housing containing a solenoidal-type magnet that generates a longitudinal or “axial” static magnetic field (usually denoted the B0 field) in the bore. The cylindrical MRI housing may contain other components, such as magnetic field gradient coils and a “whole body” radio frequency coil. As another illustrative example, a positron emission tomography (PET) imaging device or scanner typically has a cylindrical housing containing one or more PET radiation detector rings. As yet another illustrative example, a transmission computed tomography (CT) imaging device has a cylindrical housing containing an x-ray tube and an x-ray detector array mounted facing the x-ray tube on a rotating annular gantry.
In such imaging devices, the imaging subject (e.g. patient) is moved via a table or other support into the central bore for imaging. The bore presents a relatively small-diameter mostly enclosed space to the patient, and being placed into the bore can trigger claustrophobia in patients who may be susceptible to this condition. Even patients who are not ordinarily prone to claustrophobia may find loading into the bore to be an anxiety-inducing experience, especially if the patient is already under stress due to medical difficulties and/or due to uncertainty as to the potential adverse medical findings that may be revealed by the imaging examination.
The use of virtual reality (VR) is a known approach for alleviating patient anxiety during MRI examinations. For example, CinemaVision™ is a VR product available from Resonance Technology Inc. (Northridge, Calif., USA). CinemaVision™ includes a VR audio/video headset which presents the patient with a soothing VR experience during the MRI procedure. VR is also used in conjunction with functional MRI (fMRI) brain imaging in order to present the patient with audio/video stimulation useful for probing brain activity. For example, Resonance Technology Inc. provides the VisuaStimDigital™ virtual reality product for use in providing fMRI stimulation.
The following discloses certain improvements.